Albania arrests 3 for steel mill explosion

TIRANA, Albania, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Albanian police arrested three people in connection with a furnace blast that killed one worker and hurt another six in a central Albania steelworks.

Police in the town of Elbasan, 25 miles southeast of the capital Tirana, detained the three workers Tuesday on suspicion they were involved in the furnace explosion Monday in the Kurum steelworks, the Albanian news agency ATA reported.

Elbasan police said the three men failed to respect security regulations in the factory, the Serbian news agency Tanjug said.

A spokesperson for the Albanian Interior Ministry said a police investigation suggested the explosion was caused by a grenade that was accidentally tossed into the furnace, Tanjug said.